Structural tile and method of



W. M COY Sept. 29, 1936.

STRUCTURAL TILE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed Aug. 20, 1931 r/ nu,

0/1, IN NTO BY %7 ATTORNEY Jam PtW/XPPARMUS.

Patented Sept. 29, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STRUCTURAL TILE MAKIN AND METHOD OF GTHE SAME Application August 20, 1931, Serial No. 558,226

8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in structural tile and method of making the same. Heretofore structural tile has been made by the wet plastic or pug-mill process, and not as a semiplastic or dry pressed article. It is the purpose of this invention to produce tile which may serve for structural purposes, and at the same time for decorative and ornamental purposes, which is semi-plastic or dry pressed and then fired to form the completed article.

Another object of this invention is the provision of such an article which is semi-plastic or dry pressed in two parts which are heat treated to form a bisque unit or biscuit. These bisque units are then assembled to form a complete tile or element with a fusible cementing medium placed between them. The surfaces may be glazed and then the entire element fired to complete the production of a unitary structural tile element.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such other objects as may hereinafter appear, this invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts and the method hereinafter described and then sought to be defined in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof and which shows, merely for the purpose of illustrative disclosure, a preferred embodiment of my invention, it being expressly understood,

however, that various changes may be made in "practice within the scope of the claims without digressing from my inventive idea.

In the drawing- Figure 1 represents an inside perspective view of one size and form of dry pressed elements or sections.

Figure 2 is a similar view of another size and form of dry pressed elements.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical cross section through the two elements shown in Figures 1 and 2, arranged in assembled relation.

Figure 4 is a transverse cross section taken substantially on line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figures 5 and 6 are details of the joint between the two elements before and after firing.

Figure 7 is a side elevation of a complete structural tile composed of two of the smaller sized elements or sections.

Figure 8 is a side elevation of a complete struc-- tural tile composed of two larger sized elements.

Broadly this invention consists in making a ceramic tile element or unit in which one or both faces may be glazed or decorated if desired, and constructed so that it serves for structural purposes as well as finishing and ornamental purposes. The ordinary building or partition tile and building blocks are molded from cement or clay, and consequently structural variations are limited because of the necessity of withdrawing the cores of the mold making the cement block, while the limitations of pug-mill manufactured clay tiles prevent the forming of both vertical and horizontal holes in the same unit.

In the practice of this process the ceramic article is dry molded in two sections which may be of the same sizes or of different sizes and formed with complementary openings and webs and flanges or partitions which are heat treated. The composition disclosed in the Prouty et a1. Patent No. 1,628,910 granted May 17, 1927 is adapted for use as a molding composition for the sections of my structural tile. These sections are heat treated to form bisque units or biscuits and then two of these units are assembled together with a suitable cementing medium therebetween and with the glazing compound is applied to one or more faces for decorative and ornamental purposes and assembled to form an internal skeleton structure. These assembled units or sections are then placed in a furnace or kiln for complete heat treatment and emerge in the form of a complete structural and ornamental tile, the two sections being fused together and the surfaces ornamented in accordance with the application of the glazing compound. However, single sections can be used as a finished lining for building walls, either glazed or unglazed, as preferred.

Due to the arrangement of openings in the partitions and webs, the complete unit will have openings or passages therethrough to form conduits for the passage of wires, pipes and other appliances, both horizontally and vertically without interfering with each other. These units may be laid straight or in break joint arrangement. Due to this invention two sizes of sections may be utilized to form complete units or three different widths. For instance, by making two-inch and four-inch sections, a unit can be made by assembling two two-inch sections making a fourinch unit, or by assembling a two-inch section and a four-inch section making a six-inch unit, or by assembling two four-inch sections to make an eight-inch unit. This is very advantageous from the standpoint of commercial production. 50

Referring now to the drawing and first particularly to Figures 1 and 2 which are the same in construction but different slightly in size, Figure 1 illustrating a four-inch unit and Figure 2 a two inch unit, the units are designated generally by 5 the reference character I and in the form shown are preferably of general rectangular shape having a flat face portion 2 and having flat side portions 3. These flat side portions of each section become the top and bottom faces of the complete unit. Each section is also provided with the intermediate longitudinal flange or partition 4 which parallels the side face members 3. All of these members are connected by a plurality of transversely extending webs or partitions, the end webs or partitions being designated and the intermediate webs or partitions being designated 6. The intermediate webs or partitions 6 may be arranged in pairs, as shown, if desired, or consist of a single web as 5. In addition, strengthening ribs 1 are formed to connect the adjacent webs or partitions 5 and. 6, these ribs 1 extending longitudinally. The end webs or partitions 5 are inset from the edges of the side members 3 and the intermediate flange or partition 4 as clearly shown at the ends of Figures 1 and 2. In some instances the partitions 4 and 6 may be dispensed with especially where a small unit is used.

The side members 3 and the intermediate flange or partition 4 are formed with alined openings or cut-out portions 8 which form parts of openings extending transversely of each section I. The webs or partitions 5 and 6 are likewise formed so as to provide alined openings 9 extending longitudinally through each section. All the surfaces of the partitions, sides, webs and flanges are drawn so as to facilitate the removal of the section from the mold.

These sections are preferably dry molded or pressed by machine pressing and the sections are then dried or heat treated to form a bisque or biscuit. After this step the sections are assembled in pairs as indicated in Figures 3 and 4 in accordance with the size of complete unit desired and the meeting edges of the side members 3 and the intermediate flange or partition 4 are coated with a suitable ceramic cement or glaze binder such as ball clay and silicate of soda l0, and at the same time the desired glazing compound H is applied to one or both of the front surfaces 2. This assembled unit is then passed through the furnace or kiln for baking and heat treatment during which process the joints are completely fused and the surfaces provided with the ornamental and decorative finish as indicated in Figures 5 and 6 of the drawing.

In assembling these sections as described and as seen by referring to Figures 3 and 4, a plurality of openings 12 are provided extending entirely and transversely through each unit, and also a plurality of openings [3 are provided which extend longitudinally through each unit. Furthermore, due to the manner in which the side members 3 and the partition 4 are formed and the manner in which the webs or flanges 5 and 6 are formed, these transverse and longitudinal openings or conduits are offset with respect to each other so as to permit the passage of pipes, wires and the like through the units in either a longitudinal or a transverse direction without interference with each other. In the form shown, the transverse openings l2 are larger and deeper than the longitudinal openings l3. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 7 and 8 it is seen that with the small sized unit these openings will be smaller than in the large size unit.

The end webs or partitions 5 are inset, as previously mentioned, so as to permit the grinding or cutting, or otherwise reducing each end of each unit to exact specifications without interfering with the strength of the complete unit. It is seen that when the unit is completely baked, it is very strong in construction due to the arrangement of partitions, webs, flanges and ribs and therefore may be used for a wide variety of structural purposes. Due to the arrangement of the openings the units may be used in structural or break joint construction and the faces of the units may be formed with a plurality of grooves or recesses I4 to receive the mortar or cement used in building the wall, partition and the like, and thus locking or bonding the adjacent units together. Either one or both of the side faces 2 of the complete unit may be ornamented or decorated as desired so that the complete unit will serve not only for structural purposes, but also for decorative purposes.

It is to be expressly understood, however, that my invention is not limited to the shape and size of the sections of tile shown in the drawing, as these sections may be varied. Furthermore, it is not necessary that all the meeting edges of the sections are complementary, but it is sufficient if certain of the edges are so constructed as to contact each other. While I have included the glazing step with the cementing step, it is to be noted that the glaze may be applied to the article after it has been cemented, or the single or assembled elements may be used as linings and partitions without the use of glaze or surfaces 2.

One great advantage of this invention is the flexibility in size that is permitted by the use of a standard construction of sections, different widths of which may be assembled together to form units of the different sizes, but all having the same structural features and advantages due to the complementary form of the units.

What I claim is:

1. A method of making a ceramic structural tile which includes pressing two sections from semi-plastic or dry materials of complementary construction and firing said sections to form biscuits, said sections having a plurality of webs or partitions which are formed so as to provide openings extending longitudinally and transversely through the complete unit when assembled, assembling said sections to form a complete unit with a ceramic cement therebetween, and firing the unit as a whole to form a complete integral structural unit.

2. As an article of manufacture, a ceramic structural tile composed of two sections dry pressed from semi-plastic or dry materials and formed with a plurality of transverse webs or partitions and longitudinal webs or partitions, said webs or partitions and the sides and ends of the tile being formed so as to provide a plurality of transverse and longitudinal openings extending entirely through the tile as a whole.

3. A ceramic structural tile unit made in sections formed of dry pressed semi-plastic or dry materials and fired to form an integral structure and having a plurality of transverse webs or flanges and longitudinal webs or flanges, the end transverse webs or flanges being inset from the extreme end of the unit as a whole so as to permit grinding or otherwise reducing the end portions thereof without affecting the strength of the unit as a whole.

4. A ceramic structural tile unit of eneral rectangular shape in cross section comprising two sections molded of semi-plastic or dry materials so as to provide front and rear surfaces and side members and an intermediate longi- E Arms/nus.

tudinally extending web or partition, the side members and said intermediate web or partition of each section being formed so as to provide a plurality of transversely extending openings when assembled in the complete unit, a plurality of transverse webs or partitions connecting said side members with said intermediate web or partition, said transverse webs or partitions being formed so as to provide a plurality of longitudinally extending openings through the complete unit when assembled.

% 5. As an article of manufacture, a biscuit sec tion for a ceramic structural tile comprising dry pressed semi-plastic or dry materials and having a flat surface and end and side portions and also a plurality of transverse webs or partitions and longitudinal webs or partitions, said section being adapted to be assembled with a complementary section to form a complete structural unit and said webs or partitions and side and end members being formed so as to provide a plurality of openings extending longitudinally and transversely through the complete assembled unit.

6. As an article of manufacture, a biscuit section for a ceramic structural tile unit molded of semi-plastic or dry materials so as to provide a front face and side members and a longitudinal web or partition and a plurality of transverse webs or partitions, the end transverse webs or partitions being inset from the edge of the front surface and side members, said section being adapted to be assembled with a complementary section to form a complete ceramic structural tile unit, said webs or partitions and said side members being formed so that unobstructed openings are provided in the complete 11113115 extending transversely and longitudinally t ereof.

7. A method of the character described for making ceramic structural tile, which includes, pressing two sections from semi-plastic or dry materials of complementary construction and firing said sections to form biscuits, such sections each having a face and a plurality of complementary webs or flanges extending therefrom, the webs or flanges being formed with cut-away portions so as to provide openings extending longitudinally and transversely through the complete unit when assembled, assembling such sections so that the webs or flanges contact and form an internal skeleton structure, and firing the assembled unit to form a complete integral structural tile.

8. A method of the character described for making ceramic structural tile, which includes, dry molding two sections of complementary construction, firing such sections to form biscuits, such sections each having a face and a plurality of complementary webs or flanges extending therefrom, the webs or flanges being formed with cut away portions so as to provide openings extending longitudinally and transversely through the complete unit when assembled, applying a cementing mixture to the ends of the webs or flanges, assembling the sections so that the webs or flanges are pressed together and an internal skeleton structure is formed, applying a glazing composition to one or more faces of the assembled unit and firing the assembled unit as a whole to unite the sections along the webs or flanges to form a complete integral structural tile having a glazed ornamental surface or surfaces.

WILLIAM MCCOY. 

